The Vacuum That Changed the Way I Feel About Vacuuming

There are many chores I do without too much grumbling including cleaning my bathroom, changing the sheets, throwing in some laundry. Putting away my laundry is another story, but my absolute least tolerated household task? Vacuuming.

This was a lifelong battle, as I was always somehow the one kid (out of three) that got stuck with Hoovering the carpeted stairs in my childhood home even though I complained about it the most (maybe that was why? Some sort of life lesson from mom and dad?). My parents had a clunky canister vacuum, which made the task even worse. When I moved away to college, I vowed to buy an upright, but quickly learned that the heavy machine didn’t really make me enjoy the drudgery of sucking dirt and dust from the floor any better.

Except, that all changed about four years ago when I was gifted a Dyson V6 cordless vacuum. I’ve used stick vacuums before, but they were always pretty wimpy, and plugging and unplugging cords room to room was not just tedious but physically painful as I have an awful back. This was different though. I’d heard great things about the Dyson brand, that their sucking power was the best in the industry, bar none (plus…they looked pretty cool and I’m a sucker for aesthetics). After a few go arounds, I…dare I say….actually started to enjoy the chore. In fact, I looked for things to clean up. Spill some dry rice in the kitchen on accident? No problem at all! Stairs need tidying? On my way! And now, years later, I’ve become nearly evangelical about this thing. I find myself trying to work the cordless wonder into nearly every conversation: “Hi, my name is Arlyn, and I love my vacuum.”

A few stats on the vacuum:

• It has a 20 minute run time per battery charge. I first thought that wouldn’t be nearly enough, but I can zip through my entire two-bedroom apartment (including the interior stairs) on one charge and still have some juice left. Plus, the battery powers up pretty quickly, so I never have to wait too long if I forget to put it back in its dock and need to vacuum.
• The motorized cleaner head works really great both on my rugs, tile floors and wood stair risers.
• For someone with an awful lower back, this thing is light and nimble, which makes cleaning pretty effortless.
• Everything is detachable (the head and stick come off the machine with one click) so it’s easy to store just about anywhere (that comes in handy in smaller homes with little to no storage).

Sure, Dysons do not come cheap, and maybe I’d be singing a different tune if I had dropped 400 of my own dollars on this thing (which is what I believe it cost when I received it), but honestly, I don’t think so. If this thing ever dies, I’ll have to somehow find the money to get a replacement, because it’s changed my home life that much. It’s one of my most prized domestic possessions.

And until 2:55 a.m. EST tomorrow, you can pick one up for yourself on Amazon for a pretty hefty discount (25% off). Some things to note: this is for a certified refurbished unit, not a new one, however, it includes all original accessories and the Dyson 6-month limited warranty.

If you’ve ever wanted to upgrade your vacuum to a Dyson, today might be your day (I don’t think you’ll regret it!).

This story was originally published on October 4, 2017. It has been updated to reflect the current sale offering.

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